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I recently finished a piece for Game Informer on the potential of Hollywood and the video-game industry converging. As research I had a chance to talk to someone at each end of the spectrum. First I chatted with Jim Sonzero, a commercial and horror movie director that was brought on to do cinematic work for Resident Evil 5. Second I interviewed Mark Lamia, studio head of Treyarch games. His studio works with Hollywood talent regularly in the development of their titles. Read on for a taste of the article!
Over the past few years it has become obvious that Hollywood and the video-game industry are testing the waters in foreign territory – spreading tendrils to feel out what each has to offer in terms of entertainment, talent and technology. But is this trend a signal of a much larger movement?
Examining Hollywood, we have recently seen game development studios swallowed up by movie production companies. It is now common for video games to be simultaneously released with blockbuster movies (usually to lackluster reviews), and CG is being embraced like never before, taking the cinema experience to new heights in the process.
In the video-game sector we see development studios reaching out to Hollywood talent for their voices or likeness. Critically acclaimed directors such as Steven Spielberg and Zack Snyder have been signed to game deals by mega-publishers, and studios are looking for artists and composers outside the gaming space to contribute to the interactive medium.
There is no doubt that the lines between the industries are beginning to blur, but we ask, are Hollywood and the video-game industry on the brink of converging?
Click here for the full feature.
